About Biollandica

I am Edith van der Have-Raats, freelance translator English-Dutch, the face behind Biollandica.

I´m an agronomist (MSc), who graduated in 1999 from Wageningen Agricultural University in Plant Breeding and Crop Protection.  After graduating, I worked for over 13 years in the world of international business, in plant protection regulatory affairs where most days, I was speaking and writing English more than I was Dutch. Translating has always been a part of my work.

That’s how I discovered my talent for translating. However, talent alone is not enough, you also need experience, so I started translating next to my work. I gave up my day job and now focus all my attention on my career as a freelance translator. I am a member of the Dutch Association of Freelance Professional Translators and a sworn translator (graduated at ITV Applied University for Translation and Interpreting in Utrecht).

You can only translate a text well when you understand it perfectly. I only translate within my field of specialisation: the life sciences. This includes:

• agriculture, horticulture and livestock farming
• the environment, climate change, sustainability
• nutrition
• heredity, genomics
• physiology, anatomy
• healthcare, medicine
• psychology
• parenting and education

Biollandica does not translate legal, technical, culinary or literary texts (but I will be more than happy to refer you to a colleague who does, so don’t hesitate to ask).

I translate only into my mother tongue, Dutch. A foreign language, by definition, will never be as much your own as the language you grew up with, which is why this translator sticks to native. This means I don’t translate Flemish either, but I can collaborate with a Flemish colleague to ensure that your text is suitable for use in Belgium. It’s also not a problem to re-write your text aimed at a Belgian audience so it suits a Dutch one.

Interested in my services? For more information or an offer, without commitment, just complete the contact form.